Unbreakable bond
by Bechloe2505
Summary: After her parents kick her out, Chloe is forced to work for Tom in order to keep her daughter safe. What happens when they escape and come face to face with the people that mean the most to her? How will the Bella's react when they find out their favourite red head is homeless and has a daughter? Will they get her to open up about her past? (Trigger warning)
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hi everyone! This is my first ever fanfiction, so I really hope you enjoy it! Possible trigger warnings? It isn't the happiest of stories in the world, but it will (eventually get better) Anyway, hope you enjoy it! :)**

She was scared to go in. She was petrified going out. Her parents were never really there for her growing up, always looking down on her and waiting for her to fail. They didn't exactly hate her; she was their daughter, but they were incredibly strict and when she was near them she felt intimidated. She felt like school was her get away. There she could express herself and meet new people, and this is where she got her bubbly and bright personality from. Knowing that education is where she felt most free, she decided she wanted to go to college; specifically, Barden University. However, there was one problem. Her parents couldn't afford it and neither could she. She'd been saving money from the job she had selling ice creams and waiting tables at her local café, but that could only afford so much. But then she met a devil in disguise. He loaned her the money to go to Barden, but he wanted something in return. When she graduated, she was to work for him until she had paid off her debt. She was desperate, so asked no questions, gratefully took the money, packed her belongings and got ready to head to Barden. When she gets there she instantly connects with her roommate, Aubrey, and they become best friends. After a few years of getting talked down to by Alice, former leader of the Bella's, it was finally their turn to take over. From there she met her beloved family of Bella's, and she never felt more at home. She finally had a family and discovered what it felt like to be loved. They accepted her and she felt so free. She'd never been so happy; especially with her best friend Beca. Things were going so well.

But here she was 7 years later. Back at the doorstep of her parent's house. She and her fellow Bella's had graduated, all with different plans for their future, and Chloe had one too, but she seemed to have caught herself up in a bit of trouble. With mascara run down her face, her belongings in a tiny suitcase, and her hair all over the place due to the unforgiving wind and rain, she finally picked up the courage to knock on the door. She felt so ashamed and alone. She didn't know what to do if they didn't help her. Not 10 seconds later, the door to her childhood home slowly creeped open, and there appeared Steve, her dad. "Chloe? What the hell are you doing here?" He was surprised to say the least. He wasn't close to her daughter and hadn't seen her in years. "Hi dad. Ummm, could I come in? It's really important" He looked at her, drenched from head to toe, her clothes tattered and torn, then stepped aside, allowing her room to pass through into the living room. She sat on the coach, with the sleeves of her hoodie in her hands, staring at the patterned rug beneath her feet. "For goodness sakes Chloe, spit it out! We're leaving for the office in a bit!" Her mom Rachel said, not caring that her own daughter was sat opposite in her, trying to hold back her tears. It was now or never she thought, and in a weak and timid voice, she said those two words which changed her life forever. "I'm pregnant" The room fell silent, the only noises coming from the outside rain hitting the window. She didn't dare to look up and see her parent's eyes, for if she did, she would have seen their rage. "Get out" "What?" She felt the tears built up in her eyes, ready to fall. "You heard me" "Please, dad" There were no stopping the tears now "Get out Chloe". And that's where she is now, too ashamed and embarrassed to call her friends, completely alone in the streets of Georgia.


	2. Chapter 2

**Two years later**  
They all missed her. They all missed her a lot, more than they thought they would, but then again they thought they'd stay in contact, and Chloe would be the one organising Bella's reunions, continuing their annual trips out, making sure they all were doing ok. They were doing those things, at least three times a month, but it wasn't quite the same without their bubbly red head to brighten their day. It hit Beca and Aubrey the most. As soon as they graduated, she stopped calling and texting. It was like she completely disappeared from the face of the earth, but they treasured their sweet memories together, and never stopped trying to text her just in case she ever replied back.  
Aubrey's camp became a huge success, but she wanted something more, so she became a lawyer just like her dad. Beca achieved her dream of becoming a music producer and found fame, making hit records and albums. Everyone knows who she is. Fat Amy was still in a relationship with Bumper, who decided to move in together. She had taken her comedy to the next level, and her and Bumper had set up a joke shop which was running smoothly. After graduating, Stacie and her incredibly smart mind decided to train to be a doctor. Jessica found her passion in baking, and started up her own bakery, selling homemade cakes and breads. Flo wasn't deported somehow, and managed to get a job in an office. Cynthia ended up getting married to her wife, with all the Bella's being invited to the wedding, with only one certain red head not attending the gathering. After moving in with her boyfriend, Ashley worked in a school as an assistant teacher. No one really knows where Lily works, but they feel it's best not to ask. As for Emily, she's still in college, occasionally keeping in touch with her former team mates. She is now the captain of the new group of Bella's.

It was after the celebratory party back at Barden after worlds that they all noticed changes in Chloe's behaviour. She never initiated hugs anymore, she never snuck into Beca's room when Amy was out with Bumper, she never sang and danced around the house like she used to. Beca was the first to speak to the group about it, and was relieved to discover that she was not the only one who noticed these changes. It was a few weeks before they were set to leave the Bella house that she finally found the courage to confront her about it.

 _[flashback]_  
 _She slowly crept up to Chloe's room with two mugs in her had full of hot chocolate, whipped cream and marshmallows, Chloe's favourite. "Chlo?" She heard shuffling on the other side of the door, and raised an eyebrow as to why no one answered. She opened the door and was heartbroken at what she saw. In the corner of the bed underneath the duvet lay a small Miss Beale, curled up in a tiny ball, listening to her iPod. She placed the mugs on the table, and sat on the end of the bed. She pulled back the duvet and found that Chloe was fast asleep. She stroked the hair out of Chloe's eyes and just sat there, admiring how peaceful and beautiful she looked. It was no secret that her and Chloe had a special bond, different to the bond that she shares with the other Bella's. She loved them to pieces, but Chloe held a piece of her heart that she never knew she had. She wouldn't be the person she was today if it wasn't for Chloe. She was her crush. It was a mutual decision to end her and Jesse's relationship, both deciding that they were bother better off as friends. During that conversation, even he made a comment about knowing that Chloe was the right one for her. That's when it all clicked. But Chloe was being so distant from everyone, even missing her and Aubrey's weekly Skype sessions. Beca was knocked out of her day dream when Chloe began to slowly wake up from her slumber. "Bec?" She said as her eyes slowly fluttered opened, obviously surprised with her visit from her little DJ. "Hey Chlo, how you feeling? You missed out on movie night?" Beca replied, confused as to why she had missed one of the first Bella traditions that she had started. "Didn't feel like it" This made Beca a tad suspicious "But it was your choice of movie tonight Beale" Chloe NEVER missed movie night, even when she had food poisoning she made sure she was with the girls to make sure she didn't miss out on anything. "I literally just told you why, I didn't feel like it". She really didn't mean to snap at Beca, but if she wanted the heartbreak to be any less painful when she left, she decided she had to try and push each and every Bella away. It was heart breaking, and she wish she could just tell them the truth about recently finding out she was pregnant, but she knew they'd be disappointed and would probably leave her anyway, especially if she told them about her past. "Sorry Chlo, I'm just worried about you, we all are. What's up? You haven't been acting like yourself these past few weeks. You know you can tell me anything, right?" And Chloe did know, but she couldn't let them find out. "Nothing! Jesus Bec, first Aubrey, now you, could you just go? I'd rather be on my own right now". She felt the tears building up again, but she refused to cry in front of the person who she cared about most in the world. Not wanting to upset the distressed red head any more, she quickly apologised, but didn't know how to comfort Chloe. "Do you want anything? I brought you you're favourite! Hot chocolate with cream and marshmallows" Chloe's heart melted. Before the Bella's, no one had cared this much about her. It felt like her heart was being ripped from her knowing the fact that things would never be the same again. She loved them all so so much but she knew she had to leave. "Thank you, I'm sorry. I think I just need to catch up on some sleep". Beca knew something wasn't quite right, but didn't want to push the red head even more, so planted a quick kiss on her best friend's forehead, and swiftly left the room to rest. She was still super worried, but as long as Chloe knew that she was there for her, things couldn't get much worse. But she didn't know the trouble that her beloved red head was in._


	3. Chapter 3

Chloe stepped through the door to the house she now called home. Expect it wasn't home. It wasn't what a home should feel like. A home should feel safe and warm. This house wasn't, but she'd rather be here then on the streets; homeless. This was simply a place to stay whilst she worked for Tom and cared for the only light to her life; her baby daughter, Isabella. She knew right from when she was pregnant that if she had a daughter, she would be named after the Bella's. The name held so much meaning. The Bella's were the family she never had, and they were the ones that she had loved and adored. She may not see them anymore, but every time she looked into her precious daughter's baby blue eyes, she'd be reminded of the love the Bella's had for her, the love she had for the Bella's, and the love she has for her baby; her rock. Chloe took off her thin and tattered coat, and headed upstairs to get back to her little girl after her days "work". "And where do you think you're off to Beale". She froze on her spot near the top of the stairs. The voice she'd come to hate belonged to Tom. "I've made enough money today Tom" she said as she reached into the back of her pant pocket to retrieve the money she had collected. "Yeah, well one more job needs doing" He replied in a stern voice, as he slowly creeped up the stairs. "Please Tom, I'll do it tomorrow I swear, but it's 1am and I need to see her" the red head pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes. She hated leaving Isabella in the care of Tom and his friends, but in order for her to guarantee a shelter, food, and water for her daughter, Chloe had to complete little "deliveries" to Tom's clients. Otherwise, they'd be homeless, and broke. "You know the deal Chlo, I don't have time to argue with you, this needs shipping now. You'll probably be back in an hour" Something snapped in Chloe, she'd had enough. "No! I'm done for the day! I need to see Bella! You do it yourself if you're that desperate!" She probably blamed the outburst on the lack of sleep and food she's been having over the past few days, but as soon as Tom started racing up the stairs, she instantly regretted opening her mouth. A blur of her auburn hair mixed with Tom's brunette locks waved in front of her eyes as she was grabbed by the throat and slammed against the wall. "What the hell did you just say to me? You ought to watch who you're talking to, you little slut! If I tell you a job needs doing, you fucking do it, no questions asked" Tears were escaping Chloe's eyes as Tom squeezed at her throat. She was so scared of him, especially when he's this angry. She tried to pull at his hands and get away from him, but this seemed to anger him even more. "You are on very thin ice Beale, I wouldn't push your luck if I were you, remember who's in charge here! Now I think I clearly stated that you had one last job for tonight, so I'd highly recommend walking down those stairs and getting to it" He said through gritted teeth, as he slipped the small bag into her pocket. With that, he let her go, she gasped for air, and ran as fast as she could to make that delivery.  
To say that Tom underestimated the time Chloe took to get there and back would be exactly that; an understatement. It had just gone past 4am when Chloe creeped into her and her daughters shared bedroom. It wasn't much, just a small box room with a double bed and a wardrobe which contained all of their limited possessions. Chloe slowly opened the door, and was met with a sight that took away all of her troubles. With her stuffed toy that she took everywhere clutched to her chest and a paci in her mouth, lay her baby girl, curled up in a ball with her dirty blonde hair covering her face. As long as her daughter was ok, Chloe could cope. She loved her with all of her heart, and promised herself that she would never EVER let anyone hurt her little Bella. Exhausted, she slowly closed the door to their room, took off her only pair of jeans and put on her shorts and a baggy shirt, and settled into bed next to her daughter. It melted her heart when Bella sleepily grabbed her mom's shirt, snuggled right up to her, putting her head right underneath the redheads chin. The bond they had between them was undeniable. At almost 2 and a half years old, Bella wasn't the most talkative of toddlers, and she was extremally shy, but her smile was brightest when she was around her mom. When Chloe wasn't sent away by Tom, she spent every second with her baby girl, trying to teach her stuff, play with her, and making sure that she felt happy. It was a hard job as it meant that she had little sleep, but it was all worth it to see Bella smile. Of course it was heart breaking having to leave her in the arms of Tom, but he did care for her little girl, and it was the only way that Chloe would be able to provide for her. Tom would never put Bella in danger, just as long as Chloe did as she was told. He'd only take his anger out on Chloe, but that is something that the redhead had learnt to deal with.

Chloe was awoken almost 2 hours later with a loud banging at the front door. "POLICE, OPEN UP!" She was awake in no time, her eyes widening at the realisation. "Oh my god". This was bad. So bad. Tom had been caught. This was a drug raid. She needed to get out of there. She raced off of the bed and opened her wardrobe, chucking as much as she could in a bag, mainly Isabella's things. Her hands were shaking as she could hear the knocks on the door getting louder and more desperate. 10 seconds later and the majority of their possessions were zipped up in her bag. She chucked on her coat, quickly wrapping Isabella up in an oversized hoodie to keep her warm, and opened the window. They needed to get out. Just as the window opened, she heard what sounded like a door break down and heavy footsteps running around on the floor below. They must have spotted Tom and his mate's downstairs. She threw the bag over her shoulder, clutched her daughter to her chest, paci still in and stuffed duck still gripped tightly in the child's hand, and climbed down the escape route. They landed safely on the ground when she heard her bedroom door slam open. Time to run. She followed down the sidewalk and never looked back, carrying her baby in her arms, running as fast as her tired legs would carry her. She was scared, panicked, worried, but she had her daughter, and she had to hold it together for her. They'd be ok. Things would be different but they'd manage. They'd be ok.


	4. Chapter 4

"Mommy, I's tired". Chloe looked down to her daughter's bright blue eyes. They'd been walking without a decent meal or rest for a few days now; to where? Chloe didn't know. Just as far away from Tom's place as they could get. The further the better. "I know baby, not long now". She said, putting a kiss to the little girl's forehead she just picked up in her arms. Chloe hated the situation they were in, and she knew it was all her fault. She wished there was something more she could do to give Bella a better life.

When she arrived at Barden during her freshman year, she had discovered that Tom was in his final year. He seemed like such a nice guy, and she was baffled as to how he had enough money to afford both her and his own college fund. She would later discover that him and his brother, Mike, had a pretty wealthy drug business. But she didn't know that then. All she knew was that Tom was the reason she was in college, and she was incredibly grateful for that. She just wished that she realised earlier that this "nice guy" persona he was showing was all just a cruel act.

She was snapped out of her trance when she caught sight of a park in the distance. They were lucky it was a quiet and dry night, so declaring that it was as safe as it was going to get, Chloe headed to the park and under the shelter. Using her zip bag as a pillow, she sat down and held Isabella close to her chest. She looked down in response to a mumbling sound coming from the little girl. "What was that sweetheart?". Bella was a very quiet and shy girl. The almost three-year-old didn't speak much, but when she did, 95% of the time it was to Chloe. "Mommy sing?" she spoke with a little pout. Something that she had inherited from her mother. And with a small smile, Chloe agreed to the request.

 _I got my ticket for the long way round_  
 _Two bottles of whiskey for the way_  
 _And I sure would like some sweet company_  
 _And I'm leaving tomorrow_  
 _What do you say_  
 _When I'm gone_  
 _When I'm gone_  
 _You're gunna miss me when I'm gone_  
 _You're gunna miss me by my hair_  
 _You're gunna miss me everywhere oh_  
 _You're gunna miss me when I'm gone_

And with that, Bella had snuggled into her mother's embrace, eyes fluttered shut, and fell asleep. Whilst Chloe stayed awake for as long as possible, looking down at the only source of happiness in her life.

 _ **Elsewhere:**_

"Nice work today Frank, let's call it a day and continue this next week" Beca called through to the recording studio to the 'next big thing' according to her researchers. He sounded alright she supposed, but with a lot of hard work he'd be in with a chance of hitting number 1 in the charts. Which is why she called it a day, she was tired, but they made a lot of progress. Plus, she had a planned catch up date with Aubrey, Amy and Jessica at Jessica's bakery. She was a firm believer of putting friends first, and felt she had worked hard enough to leave the studio for the afternoon. All the work she needed to do was done so now it was time to relax and catch up with a handful of her former Bella's. "Sounds good Bec, see ya!". With that, she left her studio and drove off in her state of the art convertible car. The roof down and the music blared, she felt so lucky. She couldn't believe how easy her life had fallen into place. Once her old boss listened to her demos, she was offered a job, and eventually worked up the ranks to put "producer" on her tax form. It was great and she was so thankful. She had everything she had ever dreamed of; but a certain red head was missing. Beca had all the money she had ever wanted, nice car, nice house, the best of friends, but her heart had a hole in it when Chloe moved away. She quickly shook her head, and redirected her focus to the road ahead. She didn't feel she had the right to complain. It was Chloe's choice to move away, and she had to respect that. She just hoped that wherever the red head was now, she was being treated like the queen she was. Chloe was the most caring person Beca had ever met, putting everyone else before herself; an angel, spreading happiness wherever she went. Beca could only pray that she was doing the same now. Shaken from her thoughts, the brunette pulled up and parked behind the Bella's assembly point; Jessica's bakery. It wasn't anything big by any means, just a small local bakery with a few tables outside for the locals to have a coffee. But just because it wasn't big doesn't mean that Jessica wasn't a pure genius. Her cakes were famous across town, and the Bella's loved that they were the first ones to be able to 'test' her new creations.

Beca locked her car up and headed inside, being greeted by a warm welcome of hugs as she entered the building and headed for their usual table. "Short stack!" Yep, almost three years later and the height jokes were still there. Mainly created by Fat Amy of course. Beca had tried to redirect these jokes to Flo, but with a death stare from the shorter women, she knew it probably wouldn't end well, so quickly put a stop to it. "Hey nerds" she greeted, hugging Fat Amy and then Aubrey. After graduation, she and Aubrey surprisingly became very close friends. They both realised how much of an impact Chloe had on their lives, so were grateful to be able to talk to each other about it, leading to them finding out how similar they both are. From then on, they grew closer and closer.

"How's life with Jesse, Bree?" Amy asked as Beca poured her coffee and sat at her usual seat by the entrance. Beca and Aubrey weren't the only ones to get closer after graduation. After a lot of worry, doubt, and fear of rejection, Jesse finally gained the courage to ask Aubrey out, and have been growing stronger ever since. Aubrey looked at the other 3 girls around her, and ever so slowly lifted her left hand to show the diamond ring that had been placed on her finger. "OH M ACA-G! CONGRATULATIONS!" screamed Jessica, lifting herself from her seat and dashed over to Aubrey to give her a hug. Seconds later and realisation finally hit the other two Bella's. "Aubrey! Finally, being tied down! I'm happy for you!" Aubrey smirked at Amy's response, looking over at Beca to witness her reaction. What she saw brought a smile to the blonde's face. It was a sight she thought she'd never see. "Well would you look at that, Beca Mitchell, lost for words". And she was. She was so happy for Jesse and Aubrey. They made an amazing couple, and they deserved each other. "Congrats Bree, I'm so happy for you!" the producer said with a massive grin on her face, squeezing the blonde's arm to show her affection. The four of them sat there with smiles on their faces, listening to the story of how Jesse proposed to the love of his life, with him obviously being inspired by every romantic movie there ever was.


	5. Chapter 5

**_2 weeks later_**

She was tired, hungry, but she had to keep going. She had a daughter to feed. She had walked so far with Isabella in her arms, but she knew her daughter needed food. She needed a rest, but she couldn't focus on that right now.

These last few weeks had hit Chloe hard. She obviously hadn't expected a 5-star service living on the streets, but she had at least hoped that a few kind strangers would have at least offered them some spare change. But that was rare. She had to beg, and most of the time her pleading went ignored. Occasionally people took notice of the small child that was snuggled into her mother's chest, and gave Chloe some change for which she used to buy bottles of water, fruit, and bread for her daughter. But that hadn't happened in the last few days, and now she was absolutely desperate for food.

They were both dirty and didn't have many other clothes to change into or anywhere to wash apart from public restrooms. She had water in her worn out back pack which she managed to save, but food was running out. She couldn't remember the last time they had a proper meal.

That's when she turned a corner to a street she didn't recognise. She hadn't crossed a food stores that hadn't been quiet enough today, so she prayed that this would have a few shops around. And she was right. At the end of the street, was a bakery. It wasn't too quiet or too overcrowded so people wouldn't suspect anything if she went it. It was just right. Perfect. This was her chance.

With her sleeping daughter in her hands, she devised her plan. Get in, sneak some food in her bag, get out, and run. She'd done this once or twice in the past few weeks and hadn't been caught. She wasn't proud of it, but she'd do anything to make sure Bella was fed. With a plan in place, her hood up so no one would be able to see her face clearly, she stepped forward and headed towards the small building.

She stepped into the bakery with her eyes peeled, clutching Bella close to her chest. So far she had noticed that there was a small line to the cash register, and only 2 or 3 staff members, who were all preoccupied. Near the centre of the room, she saw a reduced bin full of bread. This was going to be incredibly risky, but all of the other foods were surrounded by other customers with actual money to pay for it. What a sad thought.

No. She couldn't be thinking about that right now. The task at hand needed her full attention. On a normal day Chloe, wouldn't have given this a second thought, that this was a ridiculous idea. But this wasn't a normal day. This day was one where she and her daughter needed food. Desperately.

She looked at her surroundings one last time, seeing that no one was paying attention to her, so taking a deep breath, she quickly kissed the top of Bella's head and got to work. Ever so slowly, she discreetly opened the bag she had in her hand, and grabbed a bread roll and put it in her bag. Noticing no one had payed attention to her actions, she grabbed another. That would be enough, one for her and one for Bella.

Deciding she couldn't be greedy, she zipped up her bag and chucked it over her shoulder. Now for the next past of her plan; get out of there. Keeping her eyes down, she swiftly turned around and headed to the exit. At least that was what she hoped would have happened, but of course Chloe wouldn't be that lucky. What instead happened was she swiftly turned around and bumped into someone who was a lot taller and bigger than she was.

"Excuse me mam, are you going to pay for those". Shit. Her eyes widened at the realisation that the person standing in front of her had not only witnessed her attempted to steal, but this person was in fact a member of staff. She knew she was in trouble, but her legs reacted before her brain did and sprinted as fast as she could past the man with his warm yellow shirt, knocking over the bin of breads to try and slow him. It had worked, but only once she tried to pull open the heavy door did the man grab her by her arm. She'd been caught.

"Not today missy, I think we need to have a little chat, don't you?" Chloe could only open her mouth in response. She was speechless and defenceless. As if on cue, Bella had awoken from her slumber during this disturbance, and started to cry. "Please" Chloe begged. She didn't know what she was begging for, but her puppy dog eyes had seemed to have made the worker a bit more sympathetic. "Come on, let's go somewhere a bit more private". Only then did Chloe look around to see that quite a crowd has gathered to see this little outburst. Chloe slowly looked down and nodded her head, not wanting for anyone to see her face as tears rolled down her cheeks. She had well and truly hit rock bottom.

With that, with the man still having a hold of her arm, he led her to the front desk of the bakery to seek assistance from one of his co-workers behind the till. "James, call the boss would you? Tell her about what just happened and tell her we're in the back" The man spoke in a confident but hushed voice, not wanting to draw any more attention to the situation.

The rest was a blur to Chloe as she kept Bella close to her, whispering lullabies in her ear to try and sooth her. But when she looked up after Bella had dozed off again, she noticed she was in a small room on her own, with the worker outside the door obviously talking to someone, presumably the "boss". She couldn't hear much of their conversation, but she guessed they weren't too pleased with her. She just hoped that they had it in their hearts to let her leave with some food.

Her thoughts were brushed away when she heard the door open, followed by what she could guess were three sets of footsteps. Feeling it best to keep quiet and let them speak, she kept her head down, staring at Bella snuggled in her arms. That was until she heard two sets of voices she never thought she'd hear again.

"If it were up to me, you'd already be reported for attempting to steal. You are so so lucky that it isn't up to me"

Chloe didn't know what to do. She had heard Aubrey's voice and didn't know how she should react. Maybe she was just imagining it.

"Bree, it's a few almost stale loaves of bread, I doubt that the police would even care about it"

She definitely wasn't hearing things. As that was the voice of her old roommate, Jessica.

That was when Aubrey spoke again, directing it at the unknown thief. "You don't have anything at all to say for yourself? Typical. Not even a sorry. You know how other people get food? They have money. You know how they get money? They get off of their lazy ass's and get a jo-"

It was at that point that the hooded "thief" looked up and made eye contact with two of the select few that had ever cared about the red head. Aubrey had no choice then to stop talking when her eyes met the bright blue ones that she had missed so much.

Jessica gasped as the identity of the hooded women was reviled. All three having tears in their eyes.

"Chlo?"


	6. Chapter 6

After nearly 3 whole years of being without them, Chloe couldn't believe that her best friend and roommate were stood feet away from her. She had missed them so much. But Aubrey's words had hit her hard and she couldn't help the guilt that had overcome her. Not only had she attempted to steal (and not for the first time), but she had stolen from someone that used to care about her so much. Chloe thought it was almost a guarantee that they all hated her now, after leaving without a word and then reuniting with them under these unfortunate circumstances. How wrong was she.

She couldn't bring herself to say anything, instead choosing to look back down and find peace by seeing her daughter in her arms. However, she was not the only one that was speechless.

On instinct, Aubrey went to hug her long lost best friend, but what she wasn't expecting a whimper come from the redhead's mouth as she buried her head-on top of Isabella's.

Aubrey and Jessica had been together when Jess got the called about and incident taking place at her bakery. After letting Aubrey know that she had to go and check it out and filling her in on the details, Aubrey's lawyer instincts took over and had insisted to the quieter blonde that she would come with her too, promising to "get justice". Jess knew that it wasn't a big deal and had told Aubrey to calm down; it was only a few bits of bread, but she also knew that once the former captain put her mind to something, there was virtually nothing that would stop her.

Bu Aubrey's plan had faltered when she came face to face with those blue eyes that she had only dreamed of seeing again, along a small child wrapped in her small and frail arms.

'Wait, what? Small child?' Aubrey thought. This was too much to take in and Chloe hadn't even spoken a single word yet. She didn't know how she was meant to process this. 'Ok, one step at a time Posen'.

"Chloe, honey, please look at me" Aubrey spoke in the softest voice. The response she received gave her the slightest bit of hope. Ever so slowly, bright blue eyes met Aubrey's, but she couldn't help but notice the unhealthy-looking cheekbones on her friend's pale face as well as the bags under her eyes which made her heart break even more. With that, she took a few slow and soft paces towards Chloe until she was almost half a meter away.

"When was the last time you both had something to eat and drink?". A little shrug of her shoulders let both of the blondes know that they need to make a hot meal for them quickly. Within seconds, the door had opened and shut with Jessica leaving to retrieve something filling.

"What's her name, Chlo?" Aubrey asked, gesturing to the little girl in her mother's embrace. With a whisper and almost inaudible voice, Chloe spoke. "Isabella".

Oh, how she had missed that voice so much.

Aubrey didn't want to distress the redhead any more, but she thought it vital to see the state that Isabella was in. She slowly closed the distance between the two and stroked the back of the small girl's head. Chloe was alarmed at this, proceeding to once again meet Aubrey's eyes and plead.

"Please don't take her away from me Bree, please don't do it". A sob broke from Aubrey's body as she watched her once best friend fall apart, begging not to be separated from her baby with panic, tears and desperation written all over her face. Aubrey couldn't help the few tears that escaped her, but swiftly wiped them away. She needed to stay calm and strong.

"No no, of course I won't Chlo, I just need to make sure she's ok, then she'll be right back in your arms okay, I promise you" and throughout the time she had known Aubrey, Chloe knew that when the blonde made a promise, she stuck to it, no questions asked, so that gave her the bit of reinsurance that she needed.

Chloe loosened the grip she had on her daughter, but stopped when she heard Bella start to wake up. "Mommy" was mumbled into her chest as Bella sleepily rubbed her eyes.

"It's ok baby, Mommy's here". She whispered carefully in her daughter's ear. She knew that Bella felt very shy around new people, and didn't want to overwhelm her.

Chloe looked back up after she heard the door open once again, and was praying that the tray of food and water that Jessica had just brought it was for her and Bella. Jessica placed the tray on the table in front of Chloe, and looked at the redhead with a loving and sympathetic smile, seeing the hesitation on her face. "Go on Chlo, it's for both of you".

Chloe adjusted Bella so she was sitting on her lap facing the table, and smiled sadly when she heard the gasp her daughter made when she saw all of the food that was in front of her. "We eat?" Bella asked with a hint of disbelief in her tiny voice. Chloe didn't want to look up at Aubrey and Jess because she didn't want to see their reactions to Bella in shock from being given so much food.

"We eat, baby." Chloe didn't waste any more time, and picked up a piece of toast from the range of foods and gradually fed it to Bella.

Chloe let out a deep breath as she looked once more at Aubrey and Jessica. "Thank you, you didn't have to do this. And I'm so so sorry". And she truly was. She guaranteed that they were both disappointed and probably didn't want to associate themselves with her anymore, so was preparing for the worst. She was about to continue her apology but Aubrey cut her off.

"Please don't be sorry, we've missed you so much Chlo, all of us have. I don't know what you've been through and can't even begin to imagine, but I need you to promise me something. If you or Isabella need anything ever, and I mean _ever_ , no matter how big or small, you have to tell us."

"After you've both finished eating, I'll take you back to my house and you can stay there with me. I've got plenty of room, and you'll have a safe place to stay. Once you've rested, how about we talk more about what happened in the morning?" Jessica continued.

Chloe was shocked. SO many things were happening today and she didn't know how to take it all in. "You mean you're not kicking us out?". No one had shown her this much kindness to her since leaving Barden.

"What? Of course not, we are a family Chloe. We've lost you before and we are _never_ losing you again" Aubrey said sternly, not bothering to wipe the tears that had fallen from her eyes.

That's when Chloe had officially lost it. All she seemed to do these days was cry with sadness, but this was different. Aubrey spoke with so much passion and Jessica had just given her all she had ever wanted these past few years, and it had filled her up with so much hope. Before she had been reunited, her life was hell. The only thing she lived for was Bella, who brought her so much joy and happiness. Chloe was forced to do some awful things for Tom and his brother Mike that she had never wanted to do in order to guarantee her daughters safety, but now things had changed for the better. She had finally reunited with part of her family who she had missed with all her heart. They made her feel wanted and worth something. Now she could remake those connections lost over the years. Now she could make a better life for he daughter. Things were looking up.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hey guys! Thank you for all of your reviews so far, they really help me! If you have any suggestions or opinions, don't hesitate to let me know! I'm not too sure how I feel about this chapter, and it took me a while to write as I kept changing it, but I hope you like it! The next installment should come late on this week. Thank you x**

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It had just gone 6:00pm by the time that the group of four had reached Jessica's house. Throughout the whole car ride home, Bella refused to even acknowledge the presence of these two new strangers, choosing instead to cuddling into the side of her mother.

In fact, the whole journey had mainly consisted of silences, with the occasional question from Aubrey and Jessica and a half-hearted response from Chloe. But Chloe knew that the two in the front seats would be processing and questioning her sudden and quite dramatic reappearance, and she knew that as soon as Bella was in bed, she would have a lot of explaining to do. But although they deserved to know, she couldn't face seeing their reactions to what she had gone through. She couldn't face their disappointment.

As soon as they had arrived at their new home, Jessica showed Chloe and Bella up to their room, whilst Aubrey started to make coffee downstairs, mentally preparing herself for the talk that was bound to happen. She had so many questions and she didn't even know where to begin.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

As Chloe was getting Bella ready for bed, Jessica stood outside the door, occasionally peeping in to have a look to see if they were both ok. She was worried about how silent and shy Bella was, and she was even more worried about Chloe. She didn't know what "normal" behaviour was for Bella, but she knew how Chloe used to act.

Chloe used to be this warm bubble of sunshine every time she entered a room, brightening up everyone's day with no regards to personal space. But now? Now Chloe was closed off, with fear written all over her face. It was worrying how much Chloe had changed in the past few years. Sure, her eyes still shined the brightest blue anyone had ever seen, and she was still absolutely beautiful, but the amount of weight she had lost was very concerning, and the bag she carried around with her looked virtually empty, indicating that apart from Bella, she had nothing. Both of their clothes looked very worn out, with dirt on both of their faces.

'How long have they been homeless for?'

'How did they even get in this mess?'

Jessica was awoken from her thoughts when she heard the door to the little bathroom open, followed by her two new housemates. In Chloe's arms, was little Bella, wrapped in a yellow fluffy towel and looking a bit more relaxed and content, with a paci in her mouth and her little duck tucked underneath her chin.

After tucking Bella into bed, Chloe brushed her fingers through her daughters newly clean and blonde hair whilst softly singing sweet lullabies until the little girl slowly shut her eyes and drifted shut.

She felt as though she was invading a personal moment, so Jessica reunited with Aubrey downstairs, waiting for the arrival of a certain red head.

"I don't even know where to begin Jess, I have so many questions, and I don't think I'm capable of asking any of them" Aubrey said, as they both settled down of the couch.

"I'm feeling the exact same, she seems so…...not like Chloe. She's so closed off and I'm so scared that no matter what I'm going to say, it's going to end up upsetting her! And did you see it when she flinched when we tried to hug her?" Jessica responded, and Aubrey couldn't help but note the worry in her voice.

It took a moment for Aubrey to respond. Most of what she saw had broken her heart. Chloe looking so helpless and desperate. Denying anybody else to touch her. Bella's reaction when she saw food. She had to take a deep breath and calm herself down. Chloe needed them and although this was going to be an emotional roller-coaster, she needed to keep her shit together. "Something really bad must have happened, and I'm not convinced that she's going to tell us right now, but we've just got to make sure that they are both safe and help them get back on track. We need to get our Chloe back".

Aubrey was slowly turned her head when she saw Chloe in the corner of her eyes, hiding behind the door, chewing at the end of her sleeve from the hoodie that Jessica had given her to wear. She looked so small, timid, and scared.

"Hey there bug, it's ok, why don't you come have a sit down?" Aubrey's asked with a soft and gentle voice, putting the red head slightly at ease, as she ever so slowly entered the room. Both of the blondes smiled sadly as they saw Chloe approach the coach furthest away instead of choosing to sit with them, drawing her knees up to her chest as she curled up to her seat.

The room was silent for what seemed like hours, but in reality, it was less than a minute. What were they meant to say to her? They couldn't just straight up ask her 'Where have you been for over 2 years?'. It was clear that Chloe was uncomfortable even sitting in the same room as them. Where had all of her trust gone? Did she trust anyone anymore? It was obvious that Chloe wasn't going to be the first to talk, and stepping up to be the true leader she was, Aubrey broke the silence.

"I've missed you so much Chlo, we all have. I can't believe we've got you back". It was taking all her will power not to break down in front of the person she needed to be the strongest for. "I know you're probably exhausted, and I'm not expecting a full explanation as to where you've been and what you've been doing, but please know that we will help you. We will help you anytime, and anywhere. Not matter what. We'll help you both. Just please, I'm begging you, don't leave me again, I'll do anything."

Silence fell again, but was broken from a small cry coming from the direction of the red head sat opposite them. "I don't want to go back there". That's when the tears started to fall from both Aubrey's and Jessica's face.

Slowly standing up from her spot, Aubrey kneeled in front of Chloe, careful not to get too close and distress her. "Back where Chlo?" She thought she was getting somewhere, but was quickly disheartened when Chloe responded. "It doesn't matter" and quickly wiped her tears, avoiding the two sets of eyes on her. "Please Chlo, you can trust us, we're not going to hurt you".

Chloe had heard that sentence too many times from Tom, his brother Mike, and their selfish and hurtful friends, but it never turned out to be true. She couldn't trust them. Because each and every time it led to Chloe being hurt, being forced to do something she didn't want to do, or both. If they had gone back to Barden, she knew that if someone had told her to trust them, especially any of the Bella's, she'd do it in a heartbeat, but not now. Every time someone said that to her, she knew it meant something bad was going to happen.

Deciding that she couldn't face them anymore, Chloe decided to try and leave the conversation ASAP before any more questions were asked. "I need to get back to Isabella now". She spoke in such a calm and soft voice, that Jessica nor Aubrey could barely hear her, but they gathered what she meant when she picked herself up and walked out of the door, and back up the stairs.

Jess released a breath of air that she didn't know she was holding as she looked up to the ceiling to quickly wipe her tears. When she looked back down, she saw that Aubrey hadn't move from her place, kneeling in front of where Chloe was sat only moments before. She also saw that her shoulders were moving up or down, and her head was buried in her hands. "Aw, Bree" Jessica sighed as she quickly crouched down in front of Aubrey on the floor and held her in her arms. "I'm so sorry Bree, I'm so sorry!" They stayed there for a few minutes whilst they both let all their tears fall, holding onto each other whilst they cried.

"Where'd she go Jess? Who let her get like this" Aubrey said once she calmed down. "We have to help her". Jess had never seen Aubrey this distraught. Sure, she'd seen her cry over the loss of her best friend before, but the thought of someone hurting and taking advantage of Chloe broke them. "I promise Bree, we'll help her, we'll help them both".

Unknown to them, Chloe was sat at the top of the stairs, her heart breaking as she cried as quietly as she can, listening to the conversation down stairs.


	8. Chapter 8

Aubrey sat up in her bed with a start. She had a nightmare, dreaming about all of the things that could have happened to Chloe, whilst she had no choice but to stand on the side lines and watch. It was horrifying, but not for the first and neither the last time she had wondered about what Chloe had to go through.

The blonde turned to the side and looked at her clock. 6:34am. She didn't have work today, which normally meant that she could sleep in a bit longer, but she already knew that she had a lot to do today, and couldn't possibly waste the day away.

As she swung her legs over the bed so that her feet touched the floor, she heard a shuffling beside her. "Babe?" came the croaky voice belonging to her fiancé, Jesse, indicating too that he had just woken up. "Where you going?". Aubrey turned a little so she was facing her soul-mate and smiled tiredly. She would never get used to waking up next to the love her life. He made her feel so special. "Something came up yesterday with Chloe that I have to deal with, it's pretty important" she spoke quietly, not quite awake enough to process what she was saying.

A frown appeared on Jesse's face. "Chloe? She's back?" He questioned. Aubre0y mentally hit herself. She didn't know how she was going to tell everyone that their beloved red head was back, but she had told herself that she would wait until they had a plan in place. She was just glad that it was Jesse she had told. She needed to tell someone, but she couldn't predict how her fellow Bella's would react to the news. She could trust Jesse with her life.

Realising that she couldn't lie to him, Aubrey proceeded to spend the next 10 minutes filling him in on what events had occurred the day before. How they found Chloe. How Chloe had a daughter. How Chloe, simply wasn't her bright self anymore. How she and Jessica both broke down after the two new arrivals had gone to bed.

Jesse was speechless. It took him a while to process, and even then, it still didn't make sense to him. After a few minutes of silence in the Swanson-Posen bedroom, he finally spoke. "Does Beca know?". After they broke up during worlds, they still remained close, with Mitchell currently upholding the role as his best friend.

"No, I haven't worked out how to tell her without upsetting her." Aubrey said. She knew that although it had been years since Beca last saw Chloe, the brunette still had feelings for her. Beca tried to act like she was fine, but Aubrey, as well as the rest of the Bella's knew that her heart had broken when Chloe had left and had yet to be mended.

"I think the longer we leave it, the worse it's going to get. It's best if we talk to her as soon as we can Bree". Jesse was right, like always, and Aubrey knew it, but she just couldn't be alone to tell Beca that her long lost best friend and love of her life had returned, but she wasn't ok. She didn't want to be there alone when Beca would learn how Jessica and Aubrey had found her, and how she had been acting.

Sensing that his fiancé was worried and overthinking, he placed his hand on her knee to grab attention. "I'll be there too if you want me to. I want to help. I'll message her now and get her to meet up with us. I promise it's going to be ok", and with that, he placed a soft and long kiss onto his future wife's lips.

XXXXXXXXXXX

A quiet knock on the door awoke Chloe from her slumber. She peeped her eyes open to see Jessica slowly open the door. Bella must have woken up from her sleep as well, as on instinct crawled over to her mom and grabbed a fistful of her shirt.

"It's ok baby, you're ok" Chloe whispered into her daughter's ear, letting her know that she was safe and shouldn't be worrying. It was expected though. Bella had yet to inherit what was once her mom's confidence when meeting new people, becoming extremally shy around people she didn't know.

Jessica smiled sweetly at the mother and daughter duo, understanding Bella's apprehension when it came to meeting new people. She was a tiny human in a gigantic world. "I made breakfast and thought you might want some" the blonde said as she slowly approached the bed. She was glad to see a small smile appear on Chloe's face, and sat down at the foot of the bed.

Gently rubbing circles on the little girls back, Chloe gracefully sat up and moved Bella to sit on her lap. When Bella turned around, a tooth bearing grin appeared on Jessica's face as she finally took in the almost three year olds appearance. She had a small button nose, with dirty blonde hair, and her mother's bright blue eyes. Jessica took this opportunity to try and connect and officially introduce herself to the little girl sat in front of her.

"Hi there, my name's Jessica, what's yours?".

Chloe looked down at her daughter after she felt a soft tug at her shirt, and met Bella's face, looking at her mom for clarification. The red head continued to rub circles in her daughters back as she encouraged Bella to reply. "Go on, it's ok" she whispered into the little girl's ear.

Jessica was filled with hope as the child in front of her finally spoke "Bella". It was only one word but it was the first word that she had spoken to Jess, so she knew she was making progress.

"Hi Bella! Are you hungry for some breakfast?". Again, Bella looked up at her mom, and seconds later she responded with a nod to her head. "Ok, well it's downstairs when you're ready, I'll give you two a minute and see you down there" she directed the last part towards Chloe, which was received with a small smile and nod.

Jess sat up from the bed, and made her way towards the door. She was about to close the door when a little voice stopped her in her tracks.

"Fank you Jess'ca".

The blonde could have sworn that she had never so brightly after that. "You're more than welcome, princess". And with a smile, she proceeded downstairs to prepare for the day ahead, making a mental note too update Aubrey with the progress they had made within the first morning of getting Chloe and Bella back.

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"What?" Beca thought she was hearing things. She must have. Because otherwise she heard Aubrey say that they had found Chloe.

"Jessica got a call yesterday, that someone had tried to steal from her shop, and they didn't know what to do so insisted that she came in. I was with her at the time, and I drove us there. When we arrived, I don't know who I was expecting to see, maybe a teen trying to have a laugh, but it was her Bec, it was Chloe". Beca didn't know what to think. After years of heartbreak from Chloe disappearing without a trace, she had all of a sudden reappeared out of the blue. She needed to see her.

"Where is she now? I really need to see her!". Her voice sounded desperate, and desperate she was. She needed to see her, make sure she was ok, look after her, protect her.

"Slow down there Bec, we still need to talk" Jesse interrupted Beca's thoughts as he recognised that she was overthinking. "Slow down? Jesse what the fuck? Why can't I see her yet?". Beca was confused as to why they weren't letting her see her favourite red head. Surely they had spent enough time apart as it is?

"Beca, she's in a pretty bad way". Silence. Beca looked at Aubrey with a confused face, wondering what had happened? "When we found her, it turns out that she'd been homeless. We don't know where she had been or how long for; she hasn't told us yet-".

"Oh my god, how sh-"Beca was about to ask a million questions, panic filling her face, but she was stopped as Aubrey interrupted her, indicating that there was more to say.

"Beca, calm down, there's more…Chloe wasn't alone when we found her. It turns out she must have been pregnant when she was still at Barden, because she had her daughter with her".

Beca's mouth hung open, looking for something to say but found nothing, as her heart shattered into a million pieces. Chloe. Pregnant. With someone else. Daughter. Fuck.

She hadn't realised that whilst her brain was going into overdrive, tears were falling from her eyes, and she was unable to stop them.

Homeless. Helpless. Alone. Child. Gone.

Attempting to not break down in front of her two very close friends, Beca stood up from the coach in Aubrey and Jesse's house and grabbed her keys. She had a million thoughts going through her mind, but there was still one thing that she wanted to do more than anything in the world.

"Please let me see her again".


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry for the wait for this chapter! I had just finished a differnt version of this, when my computer crashed and deleted it! But sort of thankful it did as I feel that this version is better. As always, reviews are welcomed and if you have any opinions or advice, feel free to message me! Hope you enjoy :)**

 **THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS VIOLENCE**

'You can do this, deep breaths' Beca told herself as she followed Aubrey down the hallway of Jessica's house. After years of falling in love with this girl, having her heart ripped out when the red head left, she was going to see her again. The brunette had so many emotions; so, overwhelmed.

"You didn't have to do this Jess, really" a soft voice spoke. There was that voice she had missed so much, coming from the kitchen. She turned the corner and their she was. Chloe. Sat facing her, with a little girl sat in a chair opposite her.

"Becs?" Chloe questioned, eyes widening and her mouth wide open with disbelief.

A small laughter of joy fell from Beca's lips as she saw Chloe drop her spoon in surprise. It felt like a piece of them had been fulfilled by each other having finally reunited, as Chloe stood up and let her little legs carry her to stand directly in front of the brunette.

Beca didn't want to push her luck, and having been told by Aubrey that Chloe was closed off, she didn't want to scare her and simply smiled at Chloe, waiting for her to make a move. Beca's heart exploded when as she was wrapped up in a bear hug and knocked backwards by the force of it.

Beca would cherish this moment forever, as she wrapped her arms around Chloe's waist, never wanting to let go. She had dreamed of meeting Chloe again, and before hearing the news of her return, had promised herself that if she ever got a second chance, she would tell Chloe about her feelings. She would tell her how she has loved her for so long. But now wasn't the time. So much had happened in the space of a few days. One step at a time.

Jesse wrapped an arm around Aubrey's side as he kissed her cheek, so unbelievably happy for his best friend. Aubrey leaned into his embrace as they stood in the door way, letting the two in front of her with a smile on her mouth and a tear rolling down her cheek.

Confused and slightly worried about the fuss being made around her, was Bella. She hadn't seen her mom interact with anyone like that apart from her, ever. Unaware of what she should do, she toddled behind Jessica, and pulled at her pant leg. Jessica crouched down in response, meeting the concerned eyes of the younger blonde. "What is it sweetheart?" Jess asked as she tucked a stray hair behind the little girl's ear.

"Who dat?" was the response she earned, having to strain her ears to hear the tiny girl's voice.

Jessica smiled gently, continuing to run her fingers through the tiny blonde's hair, felling ever so thankful that Bella was slowly feeling comfortable and trusting her.

She quickly glanced to the side to see both Beca and Chloe wiping their eyes and then swiftly returned her attention to the patient girl in front of her. "Her names Beca….and she's very very special to your mom".

Seeing Bella apprehensively take another look at Beca, Jessica saw part of the concern leave Bella's face, but she didn't want to settle for that. She wanted Bella to feel completely comfortable with everyone she's just met and all of the others that she will meet in the future.

"Shall we both go and say 'hello' to her?" she asked, expecting a no, but being pleasantly surprised when Bella responded. "Yes pwease" she said, but instead of toddling over like Jess thought she would, she wrapped her arms around the older girl's neck, insisting that she be carried, putting a huge smile on Jessica's face.

Hearing footsteps approach them, Beca turned around to see Jessica carrying a small child, Chloe's child, towards them. Usually, Beca made an effort to avoid being in contact with children, finding them intimidating and creepy, but not this one. Chloe's child was simply beautiful, with her soft blonde hair and piercing bright blue eyes. 'Definitely Chloe's daughter' she thought.

The silence was interrupted by Jessica, introducing the child she was carrying on her hip. "Someone wanted to say 'hello' to you Beca" she spoke slowly and softly, the looking at Bella and whispering "do you want to tell her your name?" she encouraged.

With a nod of understanding, Bella turned around to face the new stranger. "I'm Isabewa" she mumbled, not quite making eye contact. Aubrey, witnessing the encounter, felt her heart fill with joy by not only the interaction between Bella and Jessica, or Bella and Beca, but the smile that erupted on her redheaded best friend. God how she missed that smile.

"Hey Isabella, I'm Beca" the brunette said. When first informed of Chloe's daughter, Beca didn't know what to think. But now? Beca felt so unfortunate not to have been introduced to this child sooner. She also couldn't comprehend the fact that Chloe probably had to raise her on her own, without anyone else's support. She had never met such a strong, caring and loving woman.

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After eating and being told that they were all going to take the two new arrivals out shopping for new wardrobes and other essentials the next day, Chloe took Bella up for a nap, but feeling the effects of the last couple of days catch up with her, the red head decided to take a little rest whilst the others were sat downstairs. Ever so slowly, her eyes fluttered shut.

 _[Flashback]_

 _It took her over an hour, but Chloe finally settled 8-month-old Bella in to bed. She was at that age that her teeth were coming through and the poor girl didn't like it one bit, spending most of the afternoon with crocodile tears._

 _It was his birthday which meant that Tom had gone out drinking in the morning, leaving Chloe specific instructions to clean the house spotless and to have food ready in time for when he came back home. And clean she did. The house was fairly big given the amount of money Tom made by selling drugs, and that meant that it would take up the majority of her day, as well as balancing looking after her child, and making sure that Tom had something to eat when he came home. Resulting in one very stressed red head._

 _She had been so preoccupied with soothing Bella, that Chloe had momentarily forgotten that the chicken she had put in the oven had still be cooking, and after that moment of discovery, Chloe bolted down the stairs as quickly as she could, praying that she hadn't left it in too long._

 _"no no no no no no no" she mumbled to herself as she ran towards the cooker, where she was hit with the smell of smoke._

 _She got on her knees, and as expected, she turned off an opened the oven to be met with the sight of a very burnt meal. It was just her luck that as soon as she reached for the tray, a very drunk Tom stumbled in._

 _"mmm bitch where's the foooood?" he slurred, reeking of alcohol, looking at Chloe sat on her knees with a tray of burnt food beside her._

 _"I'm so so sorry Tom, Bella's been crying all day and I lost track of time! Here, let me just fix you something up". She pushed herself up from the floor, but as she was about to stand up straight, a very angry Tom raced forward and grabbed her by her hair with a tight fist._

 _"Do'ya know how much fucking monEY YOU'VE just wasted" Tom hiccupped as he stormed towards the kitchen table, dragging a helpless Chloe up behind him, pushing her side right into the table as he came to a stop, with her hair still in his hands._

 _Tom was quite an angry and impatient person when he was sober, but he turned into even more of a monster once he started drinking._

 _"I'm sorry, it was a mistake, there's still some other stuff I can-" Chloe was cut off with a sharp pain in her cheek from where Tom had just slapped her, instantly putting a hand up to sooth the pain._

 _"You stupid bitch, can't fucking do anything right" he harshly spat, looking right into the poor girls eyes._

 _"Please Tom don't do anythi-" a knee to Chloe's stomach and she dropped down on the floor._

 _"SHUT UP (kick) SHUT UP (kick) SHUT UP (kick) SHUT UP (kick) SHUT UP!" he screamed, emphasising his anger by kicking at the body by his feet. The most upsetting thing was that although in so much pain, Chloe was getting used to the feeling of being Tom's sober and drunk abuse. Tears spilled from her eyes as she violently coughed, using her arms to try and protect her head and stomach, drawing her legs up to her chest._

 _"Chloe! Chloe! Chloe!"  
_ "Chloe! Chloe! Wake up!"

Chloe sat up straight away, her heart rate through the roof, breathing rapid, and sweat all over her. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please stop! Please!" she begged, grabbing her ears, protecting her head, preparing for the next blow.

Beca cupped Chloe's cheeks, lifting her head to get her to look at her. "Hey Chloe, hey, it's ok, it was just a dream". As soon as Chloe looked into Beca's deep blue eyes, she stopped shouting, still taking fast and rapid breaths.

"Breath with me, in, and out… that's it, in, and out" Beca said, still not letting go of Chloe's face, stroking her cheeks with her thumbs and wiping away the stray tears that escaped for her face.

As soon as she realised where she was, Chloe dove into Beca's embrace, needing that sort of protection and security. No words were spoken on Chloe's behalf, but Beca was holding her tight, stroking her hair and whispering words of reinsurance. After a while, she heard Chloe's breathing even out, looking down to see the redhead fast asleep.

Beca couldn't bear to part with Chloe after seeing how distressed she was, so very carefully, she repositioned themselves so that they were both lying on their side, with Beca wrapping her arms around the slightly taller girl's waist. Putting a kiss to her shoulder, Beca slowly joined Chloe and Bella into falling into a deep sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hi guys! I'm so sorry for the wait, but I've had so much going on recently :(**

 **On a side note, I am going to start writing some one-shots, and I need requests from you all! If there's anythng at all you want me to write about (Pitch perfect ofc),then just let me know and I will give it a go!**

The next day, it was as if Chloe's nightmare never happened. For the first time in years, she woke up with a grin on her face, biting her bottom lip when she realised that Beca was behind her, holding her tight with her hand slipped under her top, her thumb stroking her stomach.

As soon as she saw Beca the day before, for a minute she felt normal again. Like nothing else mattered because she had her daughter, best friends, and the love of her life back.

Instead of worrying like she always did when she woke up, she just focused on Beca. She imagined that she was Beca's and they were together. For years, she had always questioned whether Beca reciprocated her feelings, trying her best to hide her upset and jealously when Beca and Jesse went out on dates, but this didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the Bella's.

Chloe grabbed the brunettes hand, and gently put it to her lips and kissed it, thinking that Beca was asleep. 'Perhaps on day, I'll tell her' Chloe thought as she continued to smile at their current position. Little did Chloe know that the brunette behind her was awake; had been awake for a while, and was planning about when she was going to tell Chloe that she loves her.

XXXXXXXXX

After having breakfast, Aubrey and Jesse headed to work, but not without leaving some money on the counter for Jessica and Beca to take Chloe and Bella shopping. The previous night, they had also told Jessica that they would be back in the afternoon to put together Bella's new bed. Turns out Jesse's nephew had grown out of his and it needed a new home.

As for the others, they were currently heading to the mall, Jessica driving with Beca in the passenger seat and Bella and Chloe in the back. The two in the front made a mental note to add a car seat for Bella to their shopping list.

The radio was on and looking in the front mirror, Beca could see Bella shaking her head with a grin on her face as her mom made silly faces and danced along with the music playing. It was clear as day that Isabella admired and looked up to her mom, and rightly so. 'Her mom's one in a million' Beca thought as she chuckled to herself and looked back to the road ahead, laughing at Chloe's antics as she continued to make a fool of herself to put a smile on her daughter's face.

15 minutes later, they arrived at the mall, with Bella not quite sure of how to act with all these strangers around her, clinging on to her mom, refusing to let go.

"This really isn't necessary, we're more than happy with what we have already" Chloe said, feeling incredibly guilty about the fact that they were spending money that Chloe knew she didn't have.

She was extremally grateful with everything that they had done for her, but she already felt bad that she didn't have any way to repay them yet, but of course Beca and Jessica weren't going to take no for an answer.

"Chloe, please let us do this! There's so much stuff that you haven't got but need. Like Bella needs a new bed, a car seat, some pyjamas that actually fit her, clothes, shoes, toys, and that's just the beginning! Most of the clothes she's got at the moment have got holes in them" Beca said, trying to get the stubborn red head to understand.

"I know but-"

"No but's. How old is Isabella?" Beca asked, trying a different approach.

"Nearly three" Chloe responded, confused as to where Beca was going with this.

"Ok. So, think about how many Christmases and birthday's we've missed. This is us making it up to her; to you!" Beca tried to reason.

Chloe was silent for a moment, but not quite giving her a chance to respond, Beca brought her hands up and cupped Chloe's cheeks. "Please let us do this, we really want to" she said in a quieter tone.

After a small silence, Chloe finally gave in. "Only clothes, and other essentials. We don't need anything else. Just… don't go overboard". Beca smiled and linked their fingers together, leading her to a seat whilst they searched for a pair of shoes for Isabella.

XXXXXXXXXX

Shoe shopping proved to be quite difficult with Bella refusing to let go of her mom. Each time Chloe tried to get her daughter to let go so she could help put shoes on her, Bella made quite a fuss.

"No Mommy! No!" Bella cried, grabbing on to Chloe's shirt as she tried to pull herself back.

"Come on baby, I promise I'm not going anywhere, I'm just going to sit you down" Chloe replied desperately, trying to not let her distress show, but ultimately failing, gathering quite a lot of attention from other customers.

Beca, hearing the cries from a few isles away, immediately left her current job of browsing bedding, and made her way over to where all the noise was coming from.

She instantly saw Chloe trying to calm a very upset Bella, rocking her side to side whilst simultaneously trying to keep her cool. Without paying attention to all of the customers staring at the distressed duo, Beca quickly travelled the short distance and crouched down in front of the two.

"Can we go home Beca? She doesn't like it" Chloe asked, wanting to escape all of the stares that were coming her way.

"Let me try something" Beca responded, gently placing a hand on the back of Isabella's head.

"Hey, Bella, can you look at me?" the brunette asked in a calm voice, gaining the attention of a whimpering Bella. Slowly, she turned her head slightly, so that her cheek was still resting on Chloe's chest, but her eyes searching for Beca.

"That's it, you're ok" Beca spoke softly, still stroking the little girls head which seemed to be putting her and Chloe at ease. "What's all the fuss about, huh?" she asked, not completely sure as to why she was so reluctant to let her mom go.

"Don't want mommy t'go" she said. When they were living with Tom, Chloe would always try her best to make sure that Bella was asleep before she left, because otherwise this would happen; Bella would get stressed and paranoid about her mom not coming back.

"Hey, she's not going anywhere, okay? She's right here" Beca said, glad that Bella was opening up to the brunette.

"Pwomise?" Bella pouted, beginning to feel a lot more relaxed with Beca's reassurance.

A light chuckle left Beca's lips as she witnessed Bella copy that Chloe famous pout, obviously inherited from her mother. "I promise" Beca said, slowly reaching down to pick up the shoes that had been left on the floor.

"I tell you what, why don't you sit on mommy's lap while I help put these pretty shoes on you?" the brunette questioned, finding a reasonable solution now that the mother and daughter in front of her were a considerably lot calmer than when she first saw them.

It took a minute for Bella to think, but eventually settled with the agreement and let her mom readjust her in her lap so she was facing Beca.

"Thank you" Chloe mouthed as she made eye contact with Beca, feeling more at ease now that Bella was calm, as well as admiring the interaction between the two.

XXXXXXXXXX

After her little meltdown, Bella seemed to warm up to Beca a lot more. They were currently sat in a booth at a diner, with Bella and Chloe one side and Beca and Jessica the other. The group had insisted that they just order one large sharing ice cream sundae, but the majority of it was being consumed by Bella, with the other three chuckling at the amount of ice cream and sauce that had missed the little girls mouth and had been redirected to all around her face.

"Like mother like daughter, don't you think Jess?" Beca teased, smugly looking at a confused looking Chloe. "Yep, totally agree" Jess stated whilst trying to keep a straight face, but in the long term failing.

"What are you on about?" Chloe asked, unaware of what the laughter was about.

"I think she's just taken your title of messiest eater, Chlo" Beca laughed, switching from looking at Chloe and her daughter.

"I am not a messy eater!" the red head responded. That sweet and innocent smile could have fooled anyone, but the bit of ice cream that had somehow made its way to her cheek had ultimately blown her cover.

"You got a little something there" Beca pointed out, trying to stifle her laugh.

Chloe looked confused, but her eyes going wide when she felt the cold substance on her cheek. An idea hit her, as she licked the remaining bit of ice cream off of her finger. She made a face of disgust, then looked straight at Beca. "Mine tastes really odd! Does yours?". She didn't give much time for Beca to respond when she added. "Yeah, definitely! It smells awful! Does yours Beca?".

Without giving it much thought, Beca fell for the oldest trick in the book as she proceeded to lean down and sniff the ice cream, but didn't get too far as a hand came to the back of her head, pushing her face straight into the bowl, covering her face in cold.

"Huuu-Ohhh my god!" Beca exclaimed, completely feeling a mixture of shocked and cold as she looked back up facing the guilty party.

Chloe wished she thought it through, because Beca looked shocked. But was it good shocked? Bad shocked? Fearing the worst, she started to stutter "B-Beca, I'm, umm, I'm so so sorr-" but she was cut off with a squeal of laughter coming from the mini-Beale sat next to her, followed with Jessica and Beca bursting out with laughter.

"Beca got messy!" Bella giggled whilst pointing at the ice cream covered brunette. "She did, did she?" Chloe mocked shock, giggling afterwards, poking her tongue out at the DJ. "Here, lets clean you up" Chloe said, leaning over, napkin in hand a she gently wiped Beca's cheek, biting her bottom lip as she concentrated, whilst Beca got lost in those beautiful and mesmerising blue eyes.

Jessica couldn't help but admire the way in which Beca and Chloe were acting around one another, as well as how much Bella was smiling at the sight before her. Not wanting to ruin the moment, she silently took out her phone, discreetly took a quick snap, and made a quick message.

 ** _To: Amy, Ashley, Aubrey, Cynthia Rose, Emily, Flo, Lily, Stacie_**

 ** _Operation BECHLOE continues  
[Attached image]  
3:02pm_**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: OK WHO ELSE IS FREAKING OUT ABOUT THE PP3 TRAILER?! AND THE INTERVIEWS?! AND IN HONOUR OF ANNA K TALKING ABOUT HER FAVE BECHLOE SCENES, I USED THAT AS INSPIRATION AND FINISHED A WHOLE CHAPTER!**

 **On a side note, please continue to review and SEND IN PROMTS FOR ONE SHOTS! I'LL TRY AND WRITE ANYTHING!**

 **Anyway, ENJOY :))))**

 **XXXXXXXX**

 ** _To: Amy, Ashley, Aubrey, Cynthia Rose, Emily, Flo, Lily, Stacie_**

 ** _Operation BECHLOE continues  
[Attached image]  
3:02pm_**

 ** _From: Amy  
NO WAY BHLOE IS BACK! WHERE'D RED APPEAR FROM?  
3:03pm_**

 ** _From: Emily  
Oh my goodness Chloe's back!  
3:04pm_**

 ** _From: Cynthia Rose  
When did this happen?!  
3:04pm_**

 ** _From: Stacie  
OH HOW I MISSED OUR LITTLE RED! DETAILS NOW PLS_**

 ** _From: Jessica  
It's a very long story and I don't even know where she's been, but everyone meet round mine in 2 hrs xx_**

XXXXXXXXXXX

A phone call interrupted their meal and their moment- irritatingly for the ginger and brunette- so Beca had to go outside to take it. It was from her studio, so as much as she wanted to, she couldn't let it go to voicemail.

"So" Jessica started, gaining the redhead's attention. "When are you going to tell her?". Chloe new what she was on about, but had her feelings for Beca really been showing that obviously? Sure, they had a moment, but at the time Chloe felt as if they were the only ones in the room, briefly forgetting that they had an audience.

Deciding to play it dumb was her best option. "What are you talking about?" she asked innocently. To which earned a scoff from the blonde opposite her. "Seriously?" Jessica asked, amused with her roommate's choice of tactic. "I think you're forgetting that I've literally been here the whole time! Even Posen can see your toners for each other and she's a few miles away!" she added with a wink, before getting serious. "You like her and she like's you, and it's so painfully yet aca-dorably obvious. She cares so much about you Chlo, you don't need to be scared to tell her ok?"

Hearing that someone else thought Beca loved her gave Chloe the bit of relief she needed. From a young age, she had so easily mistaken signals, having no boundaries when it came to other people's personal space. The harsh realisation first occurred when her crush Max Lucas had asked her out in high school, to which she replied with yes. Her happiness came tumbling down after a week when she realised that he asked her out for a bet with his friends, and from then on, even though most of the time she failed and got hurt again, she tried not to trust people and wear her heart on her sleeve. But obviously it didn't work. It never did. She felt like she could never be enough for anyone To her parents who neglected her as soon as she could walk. To her old school "friends" who left her out of everything and ignored her. To past relationships who always used her kindness to their advantage, and only when it suited them. When she loved she loved hard. When she was used she broke.

So, hearing Jessica herself say that it wasn't Chloe misjudging possible hints made her smile. She KNEW that Beca -and none of the other Bella's for that matter- would ever hurt her. They were the only family she ever had. She trusted them and they all held a piece of her heart. But Beca? There were no words to describe it, but Beca was different. She was completely and utterly head to toe in love with Beca.

"Just know that, when you do feel ready and when you do tell her, it will make her the happiest person alive. She's not going anywhere". Jessica knew Chloe more than Chloe thought. They'd been roommates forever, and right now, Jessica could see that the redhead was close to overthinking, and needed to reassure and put her at ease.

As if on cue, Beca walked back in, oblivious to the discussion which just took place. "I'm so sorry guys but we're going to have to cut things short today, I've just been called into work". She was gutted to have to leave, wanting nothing more than to stay.

"Me come wiv you!" Bella shouted, excited by the prospect of spending more time with Beca. Beca couldn't help but smile and silently laugh to herself. 'Of course, this is Chloe's kid' she thought.

"I can drop you all off if you want? I've got a ton of stuff to get done at home anyway, what do you think Chlo?" Jessica asked, giving her, Jesse and Aubrey the perfect opportunity to get started on redecorating the new guests room.

Chloe looked at Beca, and then down at her daughter who met her gaze, using her inherited puppy eyes face to try and convince her mom. Unable to resist, she agreed. "You promise we won't be in the way?" the redhead asked Beca.

"I promise. Who cares anyway! I'm in charge" she added with a wink.

XXXXXXXX

Once Jessica dropped off her three passengers, she joined Aubrey and Jesse back at her house. The couple finished work early and had managed to use the time the others were out to their advantage by refurnishing and redecorating Chloe's and Bella's room.

"Wow" Jessica gasped as she walked into the new and improved room. The walls were painted white, with a splash of pink on one of them. The double bed had been moved to the side for Chloe, and a smaller single bed with adjustable bars had been placed on the other side. A wardrobe had been placed, ready to be filled with the new clothes that were brought hours prior, and a box of toys next to it. In addition to this, above Bella's crib, were glow in the dark stars and fairies. What took a moment for Jessica to recognise were all of the polaroid's that's decorated Chloe's wall, filled with pictures throughout their time at college which she had left behind.

"It's not quite finished yet; Aubrey's going to sort through Chlo's bag in a bit, but not too bad, right?" Jesse asked, quite impressed with his and his fiancés handiwork.

"Guys this is perfect!" Jessica exclaimed, already looking forward to the Beale's reactions. "They're going to love it!". Aubrey took another look round, before high fiving her partner in crime.

The doorbell sounded throughout the house, cueing Jessica's departure. "You coming babe?" Jesse asked his soon to be wife as she knelt down, ready to sort through Chloe's bag. "Just give me two seconds and then I'll be there".

XXXXXXXXX

"Poor Chloe" Stacie sighed. All of the Bella's bar Beca, Chloe, and Aubrey-who had yet to come downstairs-were all gathered around the table in the kitchen. Jessica had very very briefly explained to them that they hadn't found Chloe in a good way, that she had a kid, but that was all they knew so far; no more secrets had been discovered _as of yet._

All of them were puzzled, with many thoughts and questions going through their minds. It was a lot to take in that the bright and chirpy red head had gone down-hill. "She's ok now though, right?" questioned Emily, hesitantly. Benji wrapped his arm around Emily's shoulder, whilst Jesse let out a huff of air, processing on what to say.

"Honestly? We don't know. She tries to keep up a strong front, and she's barely told us anything. Not about where she's been, what she's been doing, or who she stayed with. We'll get the answers eventually, but for now I think it's best we don't pressure her to tell us or put her in any uncomfortable situations at all. She panics and it's stressing her out, but we just got to ease her into things and let her take things at her own pace".

A hum from the others signalled their approval. They were unbelievable excited to reunite with the redhead, but after what they were just told, were starting to feel apprehensive about it.

"She'll be home soon and I'm sure she'll be stoked to see you all, but just remember that both of them-especially Isabella- won't be used to being in a crowded group of people at the moment, so let's try be gentle, not overcrowd them, and keep the noise down a bit till they're settled at least." It was very convenient that all heads turned in the direction of Amy after that comment, followed by a group full of laughter.

XXXXXXXXXX

Isabella had hidden her tiredness well. In fact, 5 minutes into their visit at Beca's studio and the two-year-old was out like a light. She was currently situated on one of the studio's fancy spiny-chairs, curled up in a little ball, with her precious paci in her mouth.

"How can she possible be comfortable like that?" Beca asked, clearly amused with the child's location of sleep. "She's definitely not a fussy child that's for sure. She'll near enough sleep anywhere" Chloe replied whilst absentmindedly brushing her child's beautiful dark blonde hair out of her eyes.

Silence fell among them but it wasn't awkward. It never was with Beca and Chloe. The silence gave them time to appreciate and be grateful for one another's presence. It gave them time to reflect and those silences were never boring. But Beca broke that silence with something that she had been dying to say ever since their reunion.

"I never thought I could ever miss anyone so much." She began, ready to let everything off of her chest. "This is so hard to say because, ugh, feelings" Beca paused as she was interrupted by Chloe's adorable giggle. "But, seriously, you were -are- my favourite person in the whole wide world, so for you to just… go…I was a mess. People think I'm living the dream, that I have everything that I could ever want. But they are wrong. For a while now, I've felt that a part of me was missing, and I tried to block it out, I really did, but it was too big not to notice. And then you came back, with an extra passenger, and I know that I need you. I need to be with you. I need to be in your life for as long as I can".

Chloe was speechless. She had dreamed about this moment for what felt like forever, and now that it was here, she couldn't help but let the teardrops start to escape her eyes. She was finally loved. All of her life she was made to feel unworthy and uncared for, but someone actually loved her. And she loved them back. Beca wasn't going to abuse her trust. Beca wasn't going to use her kindness against her. Beca wasn't like that.

Beca cradled Chloe's face with her hand, using the pad of her thumb to wipe the tears off of the redhead's cheek. "That was super cheesy and I'm no good with feelings, but I'm never going to let you go again Chloe Beale", Beca whispered, leaning in and tilting her head to capture Chloe's lips with her own. Chloe was stunned, but only for a second, as she let her body relax and reciprocate the kiss. Finally, things were looking up.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Babe are you nearly done?" Jesse called as he climbed up the stairs to where his wife had been organising the new residents room. Aubrey had yet to come down and greet her fellow Bella's, but Jesse didn't think too much of it as he knew that when his wife started a job, she continued and didn't stop until it was 100% perfect and finished.

"Babe?" he asked again, still hearing no response as he neared the door way. He was met with a sight that confused him to no end. Aubrey was sitting on the floor with all of Chloe's belongings from her bag were chucked all across the floor. She had a face like thunder, and if he was being honest, Jesse was a little scared of approaching his wife to be.

Breaking the silence, Aubrey started her rant. "What the fuck does she think she's doing Jess?" she spat out, venom evident in her voice. "She has a kid for Christ sake, she needs money for food. Not for this! How could she be so STUPID?!"

"Hey hey, calm down, what's happening?" Jesse questioned as he knelt down next to his distraught wife, comforting her by rubbing circles into her back.

Taking a second to take a deep breath, Aubrey opened one of the pockets to Chloe's bag, and pulled out two or three bags of different powders and pills, handing them over to Jesse.

"I've never known her to be this selfish and I never knew she was capable of it. This explains everything Jess"


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: DON'T HATE AUBREY IN THIS CHAPTER! I needed her to be over the top in order for Chloe to reveal some secrets. Speaking of which, I will upload the next chapter ASAP!  
Please don't hesitate to review or give any ideas! Thanks! x**

"Ok well everything seems to be done now, so we're good to go" Beca declared as she logged off of her laptop. They'd been at the studio for a few hours now and it was getting late. She swivelled on her chair and was met with a sleeping Chloe beside a sleeping Isabella. She didn't want to wake Chloe up, but from personal experience, she knew that sleeping on the edge of the sofa with your head resting on your shoulder was not comfortable at all and would certainly cause some aches and muscle pains in the morning.

Scooting over to where Chloe was half lying half sitting, kneeling in front of her sleeping girlfriend – 'girlfriend? Hell yeah' she thought – Beca reached forward to brush her hair out of her eyes. "Rise and shine beautiful" she sang softly as she watched Chloe's eyebrow furrow in response. When the redhead's eyes eventually fluttered open, Beca was once again blown away by the brightness of the eyes that were shining in front of her. She would never get over how bright and beautiful they looked. Chloe sat up with a shy smile as Beca teased "g'morning sleeping beauty".

"Have you seen my hair? I'm Ariel all the way" Chloe responded sassily with a flick of her hair over her shoulder, earning a grin from Beca. "Why am I not surprised".

It took Beca a moment to register it, but Chloe quickly lent forward and gave a quick kiss on Beca's lips. "What was that for?" Beca asked amused, but definitely not complaining in the slightest. "Just kissing my prince charming" Chloe shrugged, giggling at herself after not being able to keep a straight face.

"You're so weird"

"Thanks"

Knowing how late it was and being aware that Chloe was tired as well as herself, Beca called Jessica to come pick them up, and gathered the sleeping Isabella in her arms, using her spare hand to link it with Chloe's and walked them down the stairs.

XXXXXXXXXXX

It was dark outside by the time that the four had returned home, and they were exiting the car when Jessica pulled Beca aside. "You head on in and put Bella to bed Chlo, we'll be inside in a bit" insisted Beca, having a rough idea of what the blonde wanted to talk to her about.

Chloe had been informed that the rest of the Bella's were inside, and was slightly relieved to find them all asleep in the lounge. It had been a long day and she wanted nothing more than to fall asleep in her bed (preferably with Beca holding with her). She felt more comfortable with the idea with reuniting with them, but some rest wouldn't hurt before the big event. She made her way up the stairs, and into her new and improved bedroom. She gasped at the sight before her. It was so beautiful and perfect. The little girl mumbled in her sleep, distracting Chloe from her thoughts as she lay her down and gently changed her into a fresh set of pyjamas, trying to avoid waking her up. Once Bella was tucked up in her cot, she headed downstairs to get a quick glass of water before she called it a day. When she got the kitchen doorway, she saw Jesse and Aubrey sat at the table. Unknown to Chloe, they were sat their waiting for the redhead to get home, anger still evident within the blonde.

"Did you guys sort out mine and Bell's room? Is this what you were doing all day? I-I can't thank you enough, it's amazing, and you didn't have to do any of thi-" Chloe began to express her gratitude, but was instantly stopped by the angry blonde.

"How could you be so SELFISH Chloe? I just can't believe you… you... HOW COULD YOU?!" Aubrey exclaimed. She'd been planning on how to approach the topic with Chloe, but all was forgotten as she unleashed all of her anger.

"Bree?" Chloe almost whimpered. She'd never seen the blonde so angry and she was sure that she hadn't done anything to hurt her best friend. Or anyone for that matter. "What's happening?" she asked, genuinely confused as to what was going on.

"Babe, calm down" Jesse knew it was no use, he too had never seen the blonde so angry, but he really wanted her to calm down for everyone's sake.

"No! I won't calm down! I don't understand why you don't seem to care at the minute!" there was no stopping the blonde now.

"Don't act so innocent Chloe, I know your little secret!" Chloe flinched at Aubrey's tone of voice. The volume had seemed to have gained concern from Jessica and Beca who suddenly appeared from their little chat outside.

"Guys, what's going on?" Beca asked, concerned. If the loudness of Aubrey's voice and the worry in Chloe's face was to go by, _shit was about to go down._

As if on cue, Aubrey reached down by her foot to retrieve Chloe's bag, placing it on the table, all the while never losing eye contact with Chloe. Realisation hit Chloe and she opened her mouth to defend herself, but she was speechless. "Let's ask Chloe, shall we?" Aubrey stated, giving the redhead one last opportunity to let her voice be heard.

"P-please Bree, don't do this" Chloe begged. This was it. Her past was catching up with her and she couldn't find any escape.

Aubrey felt a pang of guilt her. Chloe was begging her not to. But it was too late. She was too stressed, and too angry. This needed to happen.

"Seriously Bree, what's going on?" Jessica was so utterly confused as to what was going on, and she sensed it was one of the possible many reasons why Chloe had disappeared.

"I'll tell you what's going on! I was sorting through Chloe's bag to help put some stuff away, and I came across these." She finished her sentence by tipping the bag upside down and out fell the bags of pills and powders; the drugs.

Silence appeared throughout the room. For Jesse, even though he had already known for a few hours, he was still trying to fix the missing pieces together. For Aubrey, she was convinced that Chloe was taking drugs, and didn't leave any room for any alternative. For Jessica and Beca, they were both stood in a state of shock, neither knowing what to say or what to think or what to do. For Chloe, at this point, she wanted nothing more than to wake up Bella and run. She'd rather run and find somewhere else than them ever knowing the truth. No one would see her the same way.

"Anything to say Chlo?" Aubrey pressured, waiting for her to say something; anything.

"You had no right to go through my things." It was a weak attempt, but Chloe was trying to do her best to give herself more time. She was distraught and didn't even want to know what was going through the others heads.

Aubrey's eyes widened at this statement. "Are you serious right now?! OF COURSE we have the right to know!" she was astounded that Chloe would even try to put the blame on anyone but herself at this moment in time. "YOU brought DRUGS into this house Chloe! Not us! It's not even your house to bring drugs into!" No one could stop her now. She was so angry that she didn't think before speaking.

"Maybe, just maybe, if you hadn't been so fucking selfish and spent the money you had on a place to live, food, on BELLA, instead of spending it on DRUGS for YOU, then you wouldn't have been homeless. Then we wouldn't have caught you stealing!" That struck a big chord in Chloe's heart. Aubrey thought she took drugs. She thought she brought drugs instead of caring for her daughter.

"P-please stop" she once again begged.

Did she really think that little about her? Did she really think that she'd ever put herself before Bella? Did they all think that?

"AUBREY! THAT'S ENOUGH!" Beca tried to intervene. She really did. Honestly, she didn't know what to believe, but verbally attacking Chloe wasn't going to help. It was completely uncalled for, and she had definitely crossed a few lines.

"Beca! She's taking drugs whilst looking after a child! And I'm pretty sure there was no one else to look after her whilst she was high! Is she even fit to be a mom?!" It took a second for Aubrey to catch up with what she said, but once she did she swore she would never forgive herself.

"Chlo I'm so sor-" No amount of apologising was going to make her forgiven at the moment.

"SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!" Chloe screamed at the top of her lungs, tears flooding down her cheeks as she stumbled back and clutched her ears with her hands.

"P-Please, stop i-it" she sobbed, completely broken as she slowly knelt on the floor, crying her eyes out.

The room fell silent apart from the cries coming from Chloe. Beca was the first to couch down and hold on to Chloe behind her, rocking her slowly back and forth, whispering sweet nothings in her ear.

Aubrey just stood there in shock. She hadn't meant a word she said, she just released all of her anger. She knew she should have never put that much stress or pressure on Chloe. She was fragile at the moment. Aubrey had no idea what had happened in her past, but when she saw the drugs she just assumed the worst.

It took at least five minutes for Chloe to calm down, and she just sat there, on the floor with Beca holding her, and just, thinking.

"They're not mine" Chloe mumbled into Beca's shoulder. "I swear they're not. I've never taken drugs before".

No one dared to speak as Beca helped Chloe up and they sat around the table, listening to Chloe tell her story.

Chloe closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and began.

"It started before I met any of you and before I went to Barden. I needed to get away. From my town, my parents; everything really. I wanted to get into a college and make something of myself, but I couldn't afford it. I worked so hard, but it still wasn't enough. Well, not until…"

Chloe tried to compose herself. She needed to tell them now. There was no going back.


	13. Authors Note x

Hi Pitch Perfect world.

First off, I want to apologise to you all. I haven't uploaded anything in aggessssss and I'm so sorry.

The past few months have been difficult for me; I haven't been myself, I've been stressed out and I've been down a lot of the time- and that made me lose a LOT of motivation.

But I'm back, and I'm currently writing the next chapter to the tale as we speak.

To those who will continue reading my story- I love you all and you are aca-awesome.

To those that have read my story but won't be continuing- thank you so much for your support; you are also aca-awesome ;)

In conclusion: I'm back, I'm writing, the next chapter will be up by the end of next week at the latest, and most importantly, I'm so sorry if I have let you guys down.

Thank you all,

Bechloe2505 xx


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N. As promised, here it is. The next chapter. I just want to warn people before you continue reading, that this is a very dark chapter. This is where Chloe reveals what happened with Tom and Mike. If you don't feel comfortable continuing to read this then I completley understand. The chapter after this will be a much happier one, but I am very worried and nervous about posting this :( XX**

 **TRIGGER WARNINGS: Drugs, a** **buse, and mentions of rape**

"I met this guy before I went to Barden. His name was Tom. He told me that he could help me escape the sad life I was living, and he'd loan me the money to go to Barden; I just had to work for him in a few years' time to pay off my debt".

"I was so desperate at that point. I needed to escape. I needed to go to college and this was the only way I could so I agreed… I was so stupid".

Everyone – bar the rest of the Bella's that were listening to the conversation next door – were sat at the table. Jesse was holding onto Aubrey's hand and listening intensely to what Chloe had to say. Jessica joined them at the table, as well as Beca who was sat as close to Chloe as she could. No one dared to interrupt the redhead, too scared that if they did, she wouldn't continue the story. No matter how hard it was to listen to it.

"Tom and his brother, Mike…. They were different. The first few years at Barden went smoothly. They checked in with me occasionally, and that was as far as it went. Things changed during my last senior year. It seemed as if they were everywhere I went. At competitions in the audience, outside my lecture halls, even outside my bedroom window. It was like they were behind my shoulder constantly. Then one day, they left me a note on my pillow; how they got in there I will never know. It said I had to go meet them and tell no one".

For the first time throughout the story, Chloe hesitated. She'd replayed this story a million times over in her head, but she had never told this story out loud. Saying it out load would make it even more real, and even though she wasn't quite ready for it yet, she owed it to her friends and family. The only people that had ever been there for her.

"I went to the address, and it turned out to be their den. I should have turned around when I had the chance, but Mike saw me before I could. It was too late".

"He led me inside and locked the doors. They sat me down and told me I was ready to begin working. I had my first delivery to make, which really confused me, but it clicked when Tom handed me a bag. They wanted me to deliver drugs… I refused and tried to leave but they had trapped me. You see, they ran their own drug business, and I was to be the one to make their deliveries. They did it to protect themselves. If anyone would have been caught, it most likely would have been me. I didn't want to do it. I really didn't".

"There was a reason that they kept showing up everywhere I went. They knew where I lived, they knew who I trusted… they knew who my closest friends were… they threatened to hurt you all... they threatened to hurt you all so badly and it would have been all of my fault. They were so serious, and to prove it… they…"

 _Deep breath in, deep breath out_ Chloe had repeated to herself.

"I came home covered in bruises, and that was the night I told you all that I fell down the stairs. There were no stairs, just Mike and Tom".

A sob erupted from Aubrey's chest. She had a feeling that this story was going to get worse, and she couldn't understand the pain that her best friend must had been through. How she went through it all alone. It broke her heart.

"I kept my head down and did as I was told. I made the deliveries. It didn't start off with many. Once or twice a week I'd have to sneak out at night, drop off the drugs, pick up the money, and take their money back to their den. I wish it had stayed that easy".

"A week after worlds, and a few weeks before we all moved out of the Bella's house, they wanted me to meet them at the den again. At first I thought that they just wanted to tell me that I was done working for them… turns out it was the complete opposite"

 _Flashback_

 _"Sit down Chloe" Mike was sat on the couch, cigarette in his mouth as per usual, not a hint of happiness on his face. Tom had his hand placed gently at the bottom of the girl in question's back, leading her to the opposite couch, as well as leading her into a false sense of security._

 _So she sat, and she placed all of the money that she'd earnt for that day in front of Mike on the coffee table, with Tom still lurking behind her._

 _A shallow smirk appeared on the tall blonde's face as he reached forward to count the money that now belonged to him._

 _"Hmm you're getting good at this Beale. You've settled nicely into this lifestyle". Once the money had all been added up, he placed it back down and turned his attention to the redhead before him._

 _Hands clasped together as he sat forward and lent towards her, he began to talk. "So nicely in fact, that you'll be doing this on a more permanent basis. Best pack your bags Beale, you've got a lot more money to repay". His face turned more sinister as he took in Chloe's shocked appearance._

 _She thought that was it. That had to be it? She hadn't gone to college to leave as a full-time drug dealer. No, she couldn't do this. She had a very strong feeling that Mike and Tom wouldn't like her response, but she had to say something._

 _Chloe opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to find the right words to say. Were there any words to say that would get her out of this situation? "N-no. No! I can't and I won't!"._

 _It was a weak response, and as she tried to stand up to leave, she felt Tom's strong hands pushing down on her shoulders; making her stay put._

 _"No? I don't remember it being a question, sweetheart" Mike said with a low chuckle, amused that Chloe thought she had any choice in this matter._

 _"I'm not doing it! Please! I've done everything you asked for, I need to be free now!" Once again, she tried to stand, but was stopped instantly by Tom grabbing a fistful of her hair and Mike slapping her right cheek._

 _"This is all your fault. YOU needed help, and WE kindly offered you it. YOU were the desperate one, not us. YOU bought this on yourself, NO ONE ELSE! WE'VE done our end of the deal, now it's YOUR turn!" Mike yelled inches away from her face. But Chloe wouldn't go down without a fight._

 _The redhead kicked her knee out as hard as she could behind her, giving and excruciating pain to Tom in between his legs, causing him to let go of her hair and crouch down. As fast as a cheetah, she clenched her fists, and punched Mike twice, as hard as she could- once in his chest, winding him, and once in his face._

 _Whilst the two brothers were still in shock, Chloe ran as fast as she could through the hallway and towards the door. She could hear fast and heavy footsteps behind her, and she knew that they were gaining on her. She burst through the door, and sprinted towards her car. She was almost there. But it was too good to be true when she felt a heavy body tackling her to the floor from behind. Her head smacked against the pavement. She was knocked out. The last thing she could remember from that night was someone dragging her by her feet across the floor. The things that she remembered from the morning after had scarred her for life._

 _Chloe woke up the next day and to that day, had never felt worse. Her head was pounding. Her eyes were stinging. Her arms were aching. Her legs were sore._

 _She opened her eyes to look around. She was confused. She had never seen this room before. Suddenly, the events of last night caught up with Chloe. She sat up as quickly as she could, and regretted it instantly as the pounding in her head increased instantly. But none of that compared to the pain inside as soon as she saw who was lying next to her. Mike. Naked. She looked at the side of the bed. Her clothes were ripped to shreds._

 _She couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. She was in complete shock. Tears fell from her eyes as she realised what had happened._

 _She felt Mike's intense stare beside her. He stroked her cheek, and she flinched away from him, his cruel chuckle echoing in the room._

 _"Hopefully that will put you in your place, slut. So, we'll try this again; pack your bags. You're moving in with us and you're starting work in a few weeks. Get ready". And with that, Mike left the bed and walked out the door, leaving a distraught Chloe._

Chloe wasn't given a choice. She didn't distance her self and leave because she wanted to. She left because she had to.

For all of these years, she was paying back what she owed the two brothers. Well. Working it off.

It was hard for the others to get their heads around. There wasn't a dry eye in the house, but no one dared to speak a word. Everyone was speachless. A gut wrenching sob from Chloe awoke the others from their thoughts. Without a second to think about it, Beca wrapped her arms around the red head, pulling her in close. Chloe tucked her head into Beca's chest and let all of her tears out. She felt tear drops land on her head from the brunette, so she snuggled in closer.

Seconds later, it turned into a group hug, as Jessica, Aubrey, and Jesse left their seats to embrace the strongest person that they have ever met. Chloe Marie Beale.

Minutes later, the hug broke apart. The laywer in the room had one more question to ask.

"So, Bella... her dad..."

"Mike. It only happened a few times after that but she's definitely Mike's". Aubrey was about to add something else but Chloe interrupted her.

"Bella doesn't know I don't think. Mike barely acknowledged her when we were living with them. It was just me and her, but now?"

Chloe looked around the room at every person sat around that table, towards the door which the rest of the Bella's were supposedly 'sleeping' behind, and she cracked a teary smile.

"Me and Bella have found our family. We've found our home".


End file.
